Films by Ridley Scott, Cary Fukunaga and Jay Roach are among the movies making their world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, just as the annual Hollywood awards race starts gaining traction.

The slate, announced Tuesday, also includes early screenings of high-profile films such as “Black Mass,” starring Johnny Depp as gangster Whitey Bulger; Cannes Palme d’or winner “Dheepan;” and “The Program,” starring Ben Foster as former Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong; “Mountains May Depart,” from Chinese director Jia Zhang-ke; and “The Danish Girl,” starring Eddie Redmayne fresh off his Oscar win for “The Theory of Everything.” Liberal documentarian Michael Moore’s new film, “Where to Invade Next,” will also screen. Read More »

Here’s an exclusive clip of the new “X-Men: Days of Future Past” Blu-ray and DVD, which comes out tomorrow. In this scene, which was deleted from the film but is available as a bonus on the disc, Logan (played by Hugh Jackman) says a steamy farewell to Storm (Halle Berry) before he travels back in time. The scene also features Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page) among the cast of mutant superheroes.

If you’re a “True Detective” fan waiting with baited breath to learn who will join Colin Farrell and Vince Vaughn in the next season of “True Detective” (today’s speculation points to Rachel McAdams and Taylor Kitsch), Funny or Die has a new version of the popular HBO series for you to consider.

Behold, “Tiny Detectives,” starring “House of Cards” star Kate Mara and Ellen Page, who have the tall order of trying to solve Yellow King-inspired crime mysteries without height, or stepladders, on their side. “It says here you guys sleep in a shoe box,” a cop says at one point. “That’s personal,” Mara deadpans back.

Obviously this is just a one-off, two minute spoof but based on just this alone, we would embrace “Tiny Detectives” with almost as much gusto as the original.

This weekend’s “X-Men: Days of Future Past” redefines the comic-book team-up film. Forget “The Avengers” and its measly six super-heroes. “Days of Future Past” has more than 20 mutants teaming up to save the world, including multiple versions of the same characters thanks to the movie’s time-travel storyline that flips from a dystopian future to 1973.

Non-fanboys, however, might just be a little confused by a movie that simultaneously continues the stories from 2006’s “X-Men: The Last Stand” (whose cast struggle in the future) and 2011’s prequel “X-Men: First Class” (whom we find in 1973, 10 years after their last film). Here’s a guide to the mutants you need to know, as well as a new villain.

Ellen Page confirmed to the Journal that she will play British Special Operations Section operative Tara Chace in 20th Century Fox’s “Queen & Country,” a film adaptation of Greg Rucka‘s Eisner Award winning comics.

“Queen & Country” will place the 26-year-old actress in what could become a trilogy of espionage films. Page is familiar with stunt-driven dramas–she co-starred in “Inception” and is reprising her role as Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat in “X-Men: Days of Future Past” due out in May 2014.

“I’m going to be an awesome spy,” Page said. “People won’t expect it because I’m this tiny girl and them BAM!, watch out.” The actress added that even though the project has to secure a director, she’s already working out, “trying to get fit.”

Twentieth Century Fox is part of Twenty-First Century Fox Inc., and until recently was part of the same company as The Wall Street Journal. Read More »

As a reporter on the entertainment beat, I often receive bizarre packages in the mail. There were the charmingly crazy cowboy boots designed for a cat’s hind paws, a DreamWorks Animation promo for the 2011 film “Puss in Boots.” I also have fond memories of the oversized stuffed teddy bear with a potty mouth and a Boston accent, in the likeness of the title character from last summer’s Mark Wahlberg comedy “Ted.”

First it was London, then Barcelona, then Paris. Now, branching out far beyond his beloved Manhattan, Woody Allen is taking on Rome for “The Bop Decameron,” his latest film which is in pre-production. The director announced today that Alec Baldwin, Jesse Eisenberg and Ellen Page will star in the film, to name a few. This will be Allen’s first time shooting in Rome. Can we add that we’d like to to see Baldwin, Eisenberg, and Page in every movie Allen does from now on? The film will be financed by Medusa Film, an Italian production and distribution company, another first for the director.

His latest film in theaters, “Midnight in Paris,” made $5.2 million last weekend, rounding out the five-week gross to $21 million. Critically acclaimed, the film was shot in the City of Light and stars Rachel McAdams and Owen Wilson. Read More »

Don’t molest children, cut lines or key cars or the Crimson Bolt will beat you with a wrench. That’s the premise of Rainn Wilson’s newest film, “Super.” Wilson plays Frank, whose alter ego is the Crimson Bolt, a DIY superhero on a mission to save his addict wife (played by Liv Tyler) from the hands of a drug dealer (Kevin Bacon). The 96-minute dark comedy comes out in limited release on April 1.

Speakeasy talked with Wilson about his comedic sensibilities, his favorite superheroes and the newest season of “The Office.”

The exit of Tom Delay from “Dancing With the Stars” isn’t exactly a big loss for the program. Episodes featuring Delay, which seemed to largely revolve around the drama of whether he’d be able to dance (the politician has stress fractures in his feet), were some of the lowest rated in the series’ nine season history. [Washington Post]

Who is Herta Müller?: Once again, Nobel watchers were off the mark. The notion that an American was ripe to win the Nobel Prize for literature after so much recent European dominance was buried for another year when it was announced that Romanian-born Herta Mller is the prize winner. For someone who just won the Nobel, there is precious little in depth on the Web about Müller, or Mueller as it is sometimes spelled. Here’s a review of “Everything I Possess I Carry With Me” and here’s a quick quick bio of the Romanian-born author. [WSJ]

Page Gets “Bitch”-y: “Whip It” star Ellen Page has signed on to write and executive produce a sitcom for HBO entitled “Stitch N’ Bitch,” about two Brooklyn hipsters who move to L.A. in hopes of becoming artistes. Joining the self-admitted Canadian knitting fan as fellow writer/producers are her “Whip It” co-stars Alia Shawkat and Sean Tillmann. [The Hollywood Reporter via Yahoo]

S’wonderful Collaboration?: Former Beach Boy Brian Wilson, best known for surfer songs like “Good Vibrations” and “California Girls,” has been tapped to complete at least two songs left unfinished by George Gershwin. The estate of the late “Rhapsody in Blue” composer (who unexpectedly died in 1937 at age 38) has approved the unusual music coupling, which grew out of a proposal to Wilson from Walt Disney Records for a two-album deal. Said a senior VP of catalog development and marketing for Gershwin’s label: “It’s a weird dream come true.” [LAT] Read More »

Two weeks ago, actress and singer Patti LuPone grabbed a cell phone out of the hand of an audience member who was texting during a performance of her current play, "Shows for Days." The bold move led to an outpouring of support from fans fed up with glowing screens. Ms. LuPone gives us her five rules of theater etiquette.